Odometer-train.



J. K. STEWART.

ODGMETER TRAIN.

APLIGA TION FILED AUG.26,1912.

1,1 10,835, Patented Sept. 15,1914;

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'UITE STATES ATENT orr on- JOHN. K. STEWART, O13 CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSI GNOR TO srnwaa'ewammn CORPORATION, OF VIRGINIA.

v ODOMETER-TRAIN.

Application nled'hngust 26,1812. Serial No. 717,001.

.To all whom it may concern -.Be it knownthat I, JOHN, K. STEWART, aj

. citizen ofithe United States, residing at Chi cago, in the county of Cook and-State of Illinois, have invented new and useful I m provements in Odometer-Trains,-of which fthefollowing is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The purpose of this invention is to pro- Vide an improved construction for odometer trains designed particularly with a view to and, freedom from necessity of repair.

It consists of the various elements and their combinationsdescribed and shown in the drawings as indicated in the claims.

' In the drawings :--Figure 1 is a face view of an instrument embodying the odometer train which is the subject of this (invention.

,Fig. 2 is-a plan .view of the train. .Fig. .3

is a somewhat diagrammatic view of certain partscut byfithe plan at line 3-3 on Fig. 2. .ig. 45 is a similar diagram taken at line 44'on Fig. 2. .Fig.-5 is also a diagram taken'at line 55 on Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is-a medial section of the trip-recording train being section lined in a manner to indicate the obvious possibility of forming the gears of the dial wheels integrally with said wheels. Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic section taken at line 7-7 on Fig. 2. Fig. 8 is a detail elevation of an end-bearing of the train.

The odometer train which is the subject of this'invention is" designed with .a view-t0 eliminating inso far as possible the use of springs or pawls in the distance recording mechanism, and is therefore positively geardriven throughout. As shown in the drawings, it is duplex in arrangement, providing for the'registration of total travel and also for separately, registering comparatively short'distances by means of a train which may be reset to the zero'point at any time.

The-total mileage register consists of a setof dial wheels or cylinders, A, mounted I upon an arbor, A, while the trip-re 'stering dials, B, are similarly mountedma ong the same axisbut in a-separate group, so as to appear at a separate window in the case of the instrument asindicated in Fig. 1. -Both trainsare driven by any suitable connections through the worm shaft, C, having a worm, C, moshing .witha gear, I), which is rigidly connected through-a common shaft of the said initial dial cylinder with a spur gear, E. The gear, EJmeshes As shown, the tripv odometer consists of but thiee dials, the right hand dial 'beingintended to indicate tenths of miles, while such minute accuracy is not considered'necessary in the total distance register, and-the last or right hand dial, A, is geared toreg'ister single miles. The tenths mile dial, B, is therefore connected directly to the gear, G, through a shaft, H, while the right hand or initial dial, A, of the total registering train isintermittently driven by a mechanism which will now be described.

.With a single exception, each of the numeral dials or cylinders is provided at one side with'a continuous spur gear, .A, of

twenty teeth, and at the other side with a mutilated gear, A,-of tw'oteeth only, 420-;

,vgether'with a notched plate,. A two toothed gear, A stands" adjacent to the twenty-toothed gear of the-next cylinder, and connection between the two is made in each case by an idler pinion, ".J, loosely mounted on a side shaft,K, and constructed With alternating full-width and short-width teeth, J and J respectively, The r full wvidth teeth by overhanging the periphery of the plate, A, as shown in Fig. 3,.loc

the pinion, J as well as the intermeshing gear, A, of the adjacent dial cylinderand prevent their rotation, except during the passage'of the two teeth of the gear,- .A', when the notch, A, of the ate, 3}, meshes with a, full-width tooth o the idler,

J, said plate, A, being so mounted that its notch, A, registers with the space between the two teeth of theigear, A Each coinplete revolution of themutilated gear, A, with its numeral dial causes a movement of the adjacent dial by an amount measured by two of the twenty teeth of its gear, .A, that is, one tenth of a revolution. "The sa'me principle is .employed'fo'r drivin the right hand or initial dial ofthe train y providing on the shaft of the worm g'ear, D;-8.*

mutilated gear of two teeth, Di, and a notched plateffl, which are identical in .form with the gears and plates associated with the numerak dials, a.. l are thus adar ed to mesh with the idler pinion, J, WhlCll meshes with the twenty-toothed ear,'A, has for each revolution of the worm gear, D, the

said initial dial is moved one-tenth of a revolution, while since the gears, E and G, are of equal size, the initial or tenth mile dial of the trip odometer is moved through a complete revolution. It will be understood that the remaining dials, B, of the trip odometer are connected with the initial dial in a manner similar to that employed in'the total mileage register, as above described.

It will be seen that particularly in the total mileage register where there are five dials, each dependent on the preceding one for its movement, such movement being communicated to it throughone of the idler pinions, J, that any slight back-lash between the pinions, J, and the gears, A,

would be cumulative in .its eifect .upon the final dial of the train, so that this final dial would appear to be quite loosely coupled. with the initial dial of the train, and its numerals might fallvery noticeably out of alinement with-the numerals of said initial dial in appearing at the window of the easing. The same thing would be true'toa lesser extent of the intermediate dials of the train, and the result would be a poorly alined row of figures at the window. To obviate this possibility there is provided a flat spring arm, L, having its free end rest;

ingagainst the idler, J, which meshes with the final one of the dial gears, A. The end' .of this arm is slightly rip-turned at, L, as 'shown in Fig. 7, to transmit a pressure directly against one of the full-width teeth, J, of theidler for forcing it into contact with the circumference of the notched plate, A, thus transferring the back-lash space from this point of contact to thepoint, J as indicated in Fig. 7. By virtue of the relative directions oi rotation of the dial gears and the pinions, J, any back-lash or lost motion will tendto appear asa space between the tooth, J, and the surface of the plate, A, at the upper side of their axes, and the action of the sprin L, is thus to complete the movement 0? the idler, J, which was leftunfinished by reason of the lost motion, while said idler, J, in turn acts upon the gear, A of the final dial tb bring it to the normal position of rest so that the .j figure of: the numeral dial will be properly positioned with respect to the. window in the casing. Obviously the same expedient might' be applied to each and every one of the idlers, J, but it is found sufiiciently effective for practical purposes to employ it only as illustrated.

- To permit the resetting of the trip-registerincg train, this train beginning with the gear, and including the pinions, J, which are engaged between the consecutive dial wheels, B, so as to be carried laterally therewith along the shaft, K, of the pinions, is made slidable bodily along the axes of the dial wheels and pinions for simultaneously withdrawing the gear, G, from engagement ith its driving pinion, F, and for bringing a pinion, B", into mesh with the resetting gear wheel, M. The shaft of the gear, M, is extended outside the case of the instrument where it is provided with a .knurled hand wheel,--"N, and since the gear, M, is several times larger than the pinion, B", which is rigid with the initial dial of the trip train, it will be seen that the train may be rapidly reset by the rotation of the wheel, N, rotating all the dial wheels in the same manner as they wouldbe rotated in service in either direction until they stand at any desired position,'i. e., either all at zero or at any other point at which it is desired to'commence, or from-which it, is desired to continue, the countof thetrip mileage. The sliding'movement of the train upon its axis is accomplished by means ofa shifter lever, P, which engages a groove, H, near the end of the shaft, H,-;,and is arranged to be operated by a push button, Q, extending outsidx e of the case of the" instrument, while a sp ing, T, is connected for yieldingly maintaining the .normal position of the train, that is, with the gear, G,'in mesh with its pinion,

For convenience of assembling, the spindle or arbor, A-', which carries the total mileage dials is merely slipped into its bearings at, A and A", being retained in position by a hook-shaped catch, A wh ich engages a groove, A, in the protruding end 0 of the arbor, while its opposite end retains, in position the bent end of the side shaft,

K, as indicated at, K, in Fig. 8. This hook,

A, is secured to the bearing, A, by a screw,

A", by which it may be firmly clamped in 105 position to insure that the parts, K and A, will be, permanently retained in place.

I claim 1. In a revolution counter comprising a plurality of dial wheels and means whereby 1 0 they are serially geared together, driving means normally engaging the initial wheel of such series for actuating the train, auxiliary driving means adapted for manual operation and standing normally disengaged 115 from the train, and means for disengaging the regular driving meansfrom said initial wheel without affecting the serial connection of the dials, and simultaneously connecting said auxiliary means therewith to 120 permit manual setting of the dials to any desired reading.

2. In a revolution counter comprising a casing, a plurality of dial wheels and means whereby they are serially geared together, 126 driving means normally engaging the initial wheel of such series for actuating the train, auxiliary driv-ing'means extending outside said casing and adapted for manual operation and standing normally disengaged from 132 the train, and shifting means also extending outside the casing arranged for disengaging the regular driving means from said initial wheel without affecting the serial connection of the dials, and simultaneousl connecting said auxiliary means therewith to permit manual setting of the dials to any desired reading.

3. In a revolution counter comprising a series of dial Wheels rotatably mounted upon a common shaft, gears associated with said dial wheels, respectively, idler pinions rotatably and slidably mounted on a parallel shaft in mesh with said gears for serially connecting the dial wheels to one another, and driving means engaging the initial wheel of the train, means for shifting said dial Wheels with their idlers longitudinally of their respective axes of rotation for disengagement from said driving means and manually operable driving means, adapted for connection with the initial wheel of the train at such shifted position for rel-setting the dials to any desired reading at will.

4. In an odometer train comprising a pl|;- rality of dial wheels co-axially mounted, and a series of idler gears positioned for operatively connecting adjacent dial Wheels of the train; an arbor for said dial wheels;

a shaft for the idlers, one end of said shaft I being bent; bearing lugs apertured to ceive said arbor and shaft, one of said bearings having a notch extending transversely from its shaft-receiving aperture to accommodate the bent end of said shaft, the arbor which lodges the bent end of the shaft.

in testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Chicago, Illinois, this 22nd day of August, 1912.

JOHN K. STEWART. Witnesses:

Cues. S. BURTON, Locr I. S'rorm. 

